Andy set the final day at ANU. He took the girls on their bikes, to check control sites and in doing so, motivated Ella to try orienteering by herself. As a result, Ella attempted the short course at the CSIRO with some coaching on Saturday evening after dropping Nana off at the airport. Katy was a little miffed that she couldn't come so I suggested that she go around the course with Sophie Arthur (and anyone else she could find who wanted to) and Andy.
Ella took off at the start but this only lasted for about 200m before she got tired! This set the scene for the next section where we followed the fence line uphill! Lots of walking here until control 4 where it flattened out. Halfway to control 5 we spotted a fast approaching Sophie with Katy just behind and Andy a little further back. Instantly Ella's competitive streak emerged ! We raced all the way to the end without being caught however the damaged was already done and I think Ella was slightly upset to see that Katy and Sophie had beaten her time by 5 minutes!
We spent most of Sunday with Cath, Eoin and Aoife. A mountain bike ride for the girls before meeting up with everyone else for coffee at the markets. It was fantastic to ride home all together then hang around playing and chatting.
Day 4 was held at Remembrance Park, just behind the War Memorial. Ella expressed her desire to do it by herself without any help but with a shadow. There was a long uphill walk to the start and in the warm conditions, Ella enthusiasm plummeted! Makhaya and Luca started a few minutes before us. Ella began well but loss her competitive drive on the long leg to control 2. Finding a walking stick helped although it was slow going from here with lots of grumbling about the heat and distance. I encouraged her to keep going and enjoyed the view through the trees across Lake Burley Griffin.
As we approached control 3, Makhaya, Luca and Cathy came into view. Turns out they by passed control 3 and ended up at the finish. The course was a little harder than the typical very easy blue course :) Eventually we all made it to the finish, passing over the bridge that had a troll underneath (thanks to Eoin!). We took the opportunity of the warm evening and great location to have a bbq dinner.
Needless to say there we no takers for the final event at ANU. Instead the gang of kids made their own fun at the near by weeping willow tree. The branches make great beds and even better swings!!
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